Page 2 of 2 Beijing spring: Democracy is
in the air By Kent Ewing
of
the Long March who stood up for democratic
political change before his death a decade ago.
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, two well-known
figures associated with the Tiananmen protests -
Ren Wanding and Chen Ziming - have been allowed to
visit and speak freely to the press.
South
China Morning Post commentator Chris Yeung, clearly
buoyed by the visitors'
presence, wrote: "When dissidents like Mr Ren and
Mr Chen can walk and talk freely not just in Hong
Kong but on the mainland and democracy is no
longer a taboo subject among Beijing leaders,
hopes for a democratic, free China are perhaps not
a pipe dream."
Cynics, however, might
suggest that this recent stream of talk about
democracy is just another part of the effort to
burnish China's international image before next
year's Summer Olympic Games in Beijing and to
strengthen the president's hand at the 17th Party
Congress next in the autumn. The Olympics
represent an unprecedented chance for China to
shine on the world stage, and the country's
leaders are keen to pull them off without any
media hitches, including sidebars about China's
continued suppression of political freedom.
Ahead of the party congress, which is held
every five years, President Hu may well be using
promises of reform to firm up his support among a
younger generation of leaders. A large-scale
reshuffling of the leadership is expected at the
congress as the aging "fourth generation" of
officials is put out to pasture and replaced by
younger party members.
A reshuffle of
regional leaders started late last year, with
younger officials being appointed as provincial
party secretaries.
And the reshuffle of
central government officials started this week
with the news that the National People's Congress
Standing Committee voted on Friday that Foreign
Minister Li Zhaoxing, 67, will be replaced by Yang
Jiechi, 57, China's ambassador to the United
States from 2001-05. Other reports indicate that
the ministers of science and technology, water
resources, and land and natural resources - all 65
or older - will also step down for younger men.
Before the congress ends, more than 60% of
the current Central Committee and about half of
the Politburo are expected to go. Hu's heir
apparent may also emerge at the congress, so the
jockeying for power will be intense - and so, too,
will be the debate over the pace of political
reform. More liberal party members would like to
see Hu expand the use of elections within the
party structure.
In what officials and
media hail as an "expansion of democracy within
the party, the 2,200 deputies to the 17th Party
Congress will be elected in 38 constituencies in a
more "democratic way" in that it will be a
more-candidates-than-positions election.
Previously, party members would have to vote for
deputies from the same number of candidates as
there were posts. But this time, voters can choose
from a list of more candidates.
Likewise,
the more-candidates-than-positions procedure will
apply to the election of the party's Central
Committee by the 2,200 deputies in the 17th Party
Congress.
Although this is progress, it is
nevertheless just a small step forward in
"democracy within the party". And this is likely
to be as far as democratic reform goes during Hu's
second - and probably final - five-year term. And
even that small step, the subject of heated debate
within the party, is hardly a done deal.
For many analysts, it is significant that
political and economic reform may now be seen as
partners - albeit unequal ones - on the congress's
agenda. It should be remembered, however, that Hu
was also in a reformist state of mind before the
last congress, calling on the media to aid the
government in its drive against China's endemic
corruption. What has followed, however, can only
be characterized as a crackdown on journalists and
human-rights activists that does not bode well for
freedom of expression in the country.
So,
while democracy might be in the air right now, it
is unlikely to be found on the ground for a long
time to come.
Meanwhile, watch what
Chinese leaders do, not what they say.
Kent Ewing is a teacher and
writer at Hong Kong International School. He can
be reached at kewing@hkis.edu.hk.
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